With roaring applause in the McAfee Center last Friday night, the cast of “Urinetown” ended their opening night with stellar performances and a high bar set for the next five shows.
Consisting of two acts, glamorous costumes, charismatic actors and artfully crafted stage designs, this is a spring musical that nobody should miss.
“Urinetown” tells the story of a drought-stricken futuristic city where people have to pay to pee. Peeing is considered an amenity and is monopolized by the corrupt government — until rebellion breaks out.
The first act of the musical establishes the dystopian setting of the town, as well as the company in charge of the fee to pee: the Urine Good Company. It emphasizes how the people struggle to afford the cost, creating resentment against the company. Eventually, the tension culminates in an uprising brought out by the protagonist Bobby Strong, played by senior Patrick Keogh.
Alongside Keogh, a multitude of other characters are introduced — namely the company’s owner, Caldwell B. Cladwell, played by senior Ben Davies; Little Sally, played by junior Ria Abraham; Caldwell’s daughter Hope Cladwell, played by senior Sahana Kumar; amenity warden Penelope Pennywise, played by senior Nila Venkataratnam and Officer Lockstock, played by junior Victor Wu. The musical is directed by drama teacher Ben Brotzman.
The second and final act of the night continues the rebellion, following both the escalation of events as well as the consequences and sacrifices that the townspeople must face in choosing to rebel against Caldwell and his company.
Bobby and the rest of the community near their amenity fight against the injustice, creating several unexpected twists and turns that make the audience question just who is in the right.
“I think ‘Urinetown’ does a great job of communicating how, in the real world, no one person is the good guy,” said sophomore Anika Kalia, one of the two stage managers.
Kalia and fellow sophomore Tessie Berger both served as stage managers for “Urinetown.” Behind the scenes, whether it be moving the Urine Good Company’s spinning chair in and out of scenes, changing the lighting color to match the mood or just keeping the musical running smoothly, the stage crew, mainly composed of students in the stage tech class, held everything together
The musical’s cast had great chemistry, transcending the theatrical experience beyond the average high school play.
“It’s not just that you’re able to perform and bring your art out to the audience, but that you have the support and connection with the stage tech people and other actors,” said junior Andrey Mokhnatkin, who played Bobby’s father, Joseph Strong.
As the applause faded and congratulations flowed Friday night among the audience and cast after the two and a half hour musical, the cast and crew said they were happy with a successful opening night.
Now that the first show is over, Mokhnatkin believes things will only get better. Tickets for shows on April 26 (a 2 p.m. matinee), May 1 and 2 are still available for purchase online or in-person.
“I think it went really well,” Berger said. “The audience was laughing at things that I’d forgotten were even funny and actors were improvising new things that were hilarious. It was just really fun.”
